This invention relates a process for thermoforming prestressed plastic articles, and to articles made by the process.
In thermoforming, a sheet of thermoplastic resin is clamped into a clamp frame and heated. An oven or heat station is utilized, which heats the edges as well as the center of the thermoplastic sheet so that, when it is subsequently delivered to a forming station, an overall temperature balance has been attained. After heating, the sheet is conveyed to the forming station where by one of several methods, it is forced over a mold. In any thermoforming operation residual heat of the plastic must be removed as quickly as possible after forming. After cooling the end product is removed from the forming station and sent to a trim press where it is trimmed from the web.
It can be seen that the thermoforming operation is utilized for making articles from sheets of thermoplastic resins, for example, acrylics (acrylonitrile polymers), polycarbonates, polyesters, polyimides, polypropylene, polystyrene and polyvinyl alcohol. One of the disadvantages of the process is that, using thermoplastic resins, it is not always possible to obtain the strength properties desired. As an example, thermoforming has been attempted for bodies of certain airborne objects. However it was found that such bodies readily cracked on landing. In accordance with the practice of this invention a thermoforming process has been developed which leads not only to plastic articles having better strength properties, but to prestressed plastic articles.